New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) The RJD on Thursday pitched for the Centre granting 'special status' to Bihar, making a common cause with the state's ruling Janata Dal (United) whose strident demand for it has drawn unenthusiastic response from its own ally BJP.

RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha moved a notice for adjournment motion in Rajya Sabha to discuss the issue.

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Though his plea was not admitted as is the case with almost all such adjournment notices in Parliament, Bihar's main opposition party's stand highlighted its convergence with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) over yet another issue after their shared pitch for caste census, even as the BJP has suggested its opposition on both counts.

Noting that Bihar was relegated to the bottom on most of the indicators by NITI Aayog in its sustainable development goals (SDGs) ranking for states, Jha said it should be a matter of collective anxiety and concern, and told PTI that the state's Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav asked him to raise the issue in Parliament to highlight the state's need for special status.

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He asserted that the RJD was the first party to make a pitch for it soon after Bihar was divided in 2000 and the then chief minister Rabri Devi raised it before the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was "sympathetic" to the demand.

It is the JD(U) which has shared the RJD's demand and not the other way round, Jha said, adding that Kumar made the issue a "political football".

Biharis in any party should support the demand, he said, adding anybody who is concerned about national progress should realise that it cannot happen without the state's progress.

"You have to give wholesome focus on Bihar's transformation. And this cannot be without granting it special status," Jha said.

Recently, BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi had drawn Kumar's ire for claiming that the demand is "meaningless" as the Centre has been providing all-round support to the state's development.

Kumar has said she lacked detailed information, and the special status demand is totally justified.

Jha made light of the BJP leader's assertion, alleging that the BJP is a "one-man party and even if its leaders feel it is needed they don't have the guts and wherewithal to speak their mind and open their heart".

The Centre should revise its stand as India cannot become a USD 5 trillion economy if Bihar lags on all development parameters, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his government has been working to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024.

For Bihar, Kumar has repeatedly sought special status, which grants various benefits and tax incentives for a state.

Though former finance minister Arun Jaitley in 2015 had made it clear that the issue was no longer relevant after the constitutional award by the 14th Finance Commission for sharing of tax resources between the Centre and states, Kumar has been persistent about it despite the BJP's indifference.

The latest NITI Aayog ranking has again fuelled the demand.

The issue has again highlighted lack of cohesion between the JD(U) and the BJP, two parties which share power in the state, over key issues, with leaders of the two parties often making conflicting comments on different matters and even taking potshots at each other.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)